Recycled Polartec Fleece Hats by The Mouse Works

Image source: The Mouse WorksCinderella's little furry worker friends have nothing on these guys. The Mouse Works owner Ryan Williamson hand-makes all of the hats from recycled Polartec fleece from area clothing factories, making hats for people and pets alike. Growing up in the mountains of West Virginia, Williamson learned the value of self-sufficiency and began sewing when he was 14. This business put him through school and has challenged him to come up with the greenest business he can develop. Now, years later, The Mouse Works gives Williamson his livelihood and an outlet for his creativity, as well as allows him time for other pursuits like hiking the Blue Ridge Trail each year, which is practically on his doorstep.

Hats come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and some even have mouse faces/ears on them for the young or young at heart. Hat designs include: stocking and long stocking caps, berets, face masks, dinosaur hats, santa hats, hats for lizards and pets, jester hats, animal face hats complete with floppy bunny ears and hats with apple stems on them, to name a few. Since there are so many color combinations, you select on your order form which version of the hat you want, an its made fresh for you. You can also get recycled fleece overalls and skirts, scarves and neckwarmers. Snuggling into a handmade pair of recycled fleece overalls and curling up in front of a fire, or chopping a chord of wood while staying toasty warm, now what could be better?

The Mouse Works name came from Williamson's trail name "Timothy Mouse" and is a reminder to keep things simple and rooted in the outdoors. Each year Willimson takes off for weeks at a time to commune with nature on long hike or kayak rides. This helps to refuel him to get back down to business. Since Williamson hand-makes everything, he can determine what to do with "waste", and in his case, none of it is. Anything that isn't turned into a hat is used to stuff human and dog pillows or used for tassels or other embellishments. The site is full of pictures of the hats, the workshop, the recycled fabric pieces, the one paper sack of waste, and everything else you might want to learn about running a sustainable small business.

Image source: The Mouse Works
Cinderella's little furry worker friends have nothing on these guys. The Mouse Works owner Ryan Williamson hand-makes all of the hats from recycled Polartec fleece from area clothing factories, making hats for people and